


The Empty Chair

by Cheeky_The_Monkey



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Basically Henry craving friendship but nobody realises, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Loneliness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18464896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheeky_The_Monkey/pseuds/Cheeky_The_Monkey
Summary: When Henry Hidgens wakes up in hospital, he is plagued by three questions:1. How did he end up there in the first place?2. When will his colleagues and students come to visit him?3. ...Do they even realise he's gone?





	1. Where?

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

The first thought that came to Henry’s mind when he regained consciousness was the amazement that his panic button had worked on its first go.

Hold on, why had he pressed the panic button in the first place?

He forced his eyelids open and was immediately met with bright white lights around him. He would have assumed that he was in his lab, if not for the sterile stench that made him wrinkle his nose and the constant beeping of the heart monitor next to him.

So he was in a hospital.

Great.

As he gradually regained more of his senses, he noticed that there was an IV tube wedged under the skin of his right forearm. Feeling a rising sensation of discomfort, he yanked it out. He would have no more chemicals in his body than he could help; you never know what they could be feeding into your bloodstream all the while you were blissfully unaware of the control they had over you.

“Excuse me, Dr Hidgens? You have to keep that in for now!” 

Henry turned his head on his pillow to see a young nurse quickly hop around some other patients’ beds in order to reach his and re-attach the tube. He groaned (causing the tall nurse to wince) and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why am I here?” He asked gruffly.

The nurse picked up the clipboard that was attached to his bed and began to quickly study it, but Henry snatched it out of the boy’s hands and took a look for himself.

The nurse smiled nervously. “You, um, had a fall.”

Having just read the fact for himself, Henry dropped the clipboard onto the floor making a loud crash that caused the other patients in the ward to look at them. The nurse waved them off. 

“Impossible.” Henry stated.

“I’m afraid you did.” The nurse said as he bent over to pick up the clipboard before gripping it tightly with two hands in the fear of it getting snatched from him again.

“No, I mean… I’ve always had perfect balance. I don’t understand how I could have fallen.” Henry reinforced, slightly out of breath for some reason.

“It comes naturally with age, but if you want I can try and arrange an investigation.” The nurse offered. He looked at Henry for a few moments and then, deeming it safe, he hesitantly put down the clipboard again. “Are you having any trouble breathing? I can get you some oxygen.” The nurse suggested, seeming to pick up on the older man’s breathlessness.

Henry shook his head which caused a dry cough to escape from his throat. “No, I don’t want any more _tubes._ ” He said with disgust.

“Oh.” The nurse said. He then walked away, allowing Henry to relax and think.

He hated being a patient. He didn’t mind being a doctor, but he found it very difficult to put his own trust in others. Knowing that someone had eyes on him at all times made him feel uneasy, a feeling he rarely experienced back at home.

“Here you go.” He had been too engrossed in his thoughts to notice that the nurse had returned and placed a cup of cold water on his bedside table. Only then did he realise how parched his throat was.

Henry looked at the water suspiciously and then at the nurse’s earnest expression. He seemed sincere enough. “Eh.” He said with a shrug, before he picked up the water and chugged it down, aware of the nurse’s triumphant smile.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Dr Hidgens?”

For a moment Henry felt confused. It had been years since anyone had called him “Dr Hidgens”. One of the main reasons he had chosen to take up teaching was so that he could have a new title, especially since his dear friends used to send him letters addressed to “Dr. H. Hidgens”...

“Professor Hidgens, please.”

“Oh, sorry, Professor.”

Long story short, he had never bothered to update his medical credentials, because he never felt the need for it. He had never been taken seriously ill, and he refused to believe that this fall was because of age. 

Yes, he was getting old. No, he was not going to let that stop him.

He took a closer look at the nurse that was making some notes on his clipboard. He was tall, lean and had slightly scruffy black hair with dark circles under his eyes. He a good-looking young man trying to make ends meet by taking up one of the more difficult professions. Working in medicine was tough, especially for someone that looked young enough to be one of his students.

“What’s your name?” He asked just as the boy began to work away.

The nurse turned to him with a tired smile. “Mark.”

Henry felt a twinge in his heart. Of course that was his name. The name of someone who seemed to genuinely care about him. Yes, he was probably paid to do it, but everything about the man seemed sincere. It reminded him painfully of his beloved friends.

For the first time, he smiled at the nurse.

“Hello, Mark. I’m Henry.”


	2. Who?

Another reason Henry didn’t like hospitals was because they were so _boring_.

It was a busy day at the hospital as it was merely days before Christmas, therefore the ward was severely understaffed. The few people who were still working must have collectively decided that Henry was in perfect health because for the next couple of hours they hovered around every bed except his. Was he really that scary?

His annoyance must have shown on his face, because eventually Mark returned to his bed with yet another clipboard.

“How are you feeling, Henry?” He asked politely.

“Fit as a fiddle.” Henry replied sarcastically.

Mark smiled and clicked his pen. “I noticed that your details are out of date, so if you could just tell me the names and numbers of your family then we can let them know that you’re here.”

Henry let out a dry chuckle. “That part doesn’t need updating.”

The nurse looked up from his clipboard with concern. “Really?” He asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “No siblings? No children?”

The older man glared at him. “I don’t feel the need to repeat myself.” He said.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry.” 

Despite himself, Henry felt a tiny bit of remorse when he watched the dismayed young nurse cross out an entire line of his paperwork.

“Mark?” He said.

“Yes Dr- um, _Professor_ Hidgens?”

“What’s in this?” He picked up the IV tube and held it in front of him. It hurt his arm to move it around, but he didn’t really care.

Mark glanced at the original clipboard at the side of the bed and then turned back to Henry. “It’s mostly Vitamin D, it says here you’re deficient.”

“Hmph.” Henry huffed, putting the tube back in its place. He hardly went out in the sun, so it was no wonder that he had a lack of juicy Vitamin D flowing through his veins.

With the conversation apparently ending there, Mark hovered around Henry’s bed awkwardly, not sure whether to stay or move on.

“Mark?”

 

“Yes?” Mark answered a little too quickly.

“Is that investigation still on offer? I’m sure there must be a logical explanation for my fall.” He had given it a lot of thought; he’d had hours to kill, after all. He was in perfect health, he had no joint pains and his vision was relatively clear…

Mark seemed delighted that Henry had even considered his suggestion. “Yes, of course it is. I’ll arrange it as soon as I can.”

“Good lad.” 

“But,” he continued sheepishly, “you’d have to stay here for a few more days so we can complete some tests. I understand if you want to go home for Christmas so you can always come back another time-”

“No, no need.” Henry interrupted. “I don’t do much on Christmas anyway.”

Mark’s goofy smile seemed to waver at that, but he didn’t comment on it.

The silence that hung between them seemed less uncomfortable than before.

“I… should probably take a blood sample now.” Mark muttered to himself as he stumbled over to the trolley where the equipment was neatly laid out.

Henry chuckled at his inexperience. “How old are you?” He asked with amusement as the young man fiddled with a syringe.

“I’m twenty-six, sir. B-But don’t worry! I’m fully qualified-” 

Henry raised his hand which silenced the nurse with a whimper. However, he smiled warmly at him, reminded of his days when he was just out of training. “I know you are, I trust you.”

The statement shocked them both, and Mark’s face had a noticeable pink tinge to it.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Neither of them spoke as Mark took Henry’s blood. Henry was very used to blood, so the needle didn’t bother him one bit. This and his kind words to the nurse gave Mark a boost of confidence, and when he left with the blood samples he had a steadiness to his walk that he hadn’t had before.

Henry felt satisfied with the knowledge that he had helped someone that day, but his happiness faded very quickly when he remembered that he had forgotten to ask for his phone. Though it was the Christmas vacation, his colleagues must be worried sick about him. 

Yet, as the stale dinner was given out and the lights were switched off, he decided that it was something to worry about tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
